“For a pastor to transform his or her home church into a house of prayer, he or she must first become a house of prayer.” – Garryt Bryant
In 2019, Garryt Bryant joined the GSO (General Superintendent’s Office) as the Administrative Assistant to then Chief of Staff, Terry Fowler. Bryant thoroughly enjoyed his time working with Fowler, and even stated that he viewed him more like a friend than a boss. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, Bryant was working tirelessly along with many others in the GSO department, throughout the entire denomination, and across the world to brainstorm solutions to an unexpected problem: for the safety of the congregants, the church’s doors were closed. Ready or not, the unthinkable had happened, and it was a scary time for many pastors, ministers, and laypeople as well.
So, what could be done? Garryt Bryant wasn’t sure, but he knew the One who would know. Out of necessity really, a Friday morning prayer group was formed. Meeting over zoom, all across the country, six men met and prayed weekly. As time moved forward and the restrictions were lifted, the men continued to meet, still joining in prayer, weekly, to this very day.
During these meetings, Bryant felt a stirring in his heart to share this desire for prayer with others. In 2021, he and his prayer team brought about Regional Prayer Conferences. Right in the middle of all of these amazing happenings, God continued to show up, and Arise in Prayer was born. In 2022, they continued growing by adding Prayer Summits. Presiding Bishop Beacham shared, “I’m grateful for Garryt’s commitment to prayer and his administrative abilities in organizing Prayer Summits for the IPHC. It’s exciting to work with young IPHC leaders.” The Prayer Summits, which are designed for pastors and ministers, are intentional spaces and times created to “establish a culture of prayer”. However, the Summit is not an “end” experience, but rather the beginning of a two-year journey.
An Arise in Prayer Summit is a three-day, two-night event tailor-made for pastors and ministers that focuses on praying, reading, and singing. Upon completion of the event, the minister is matched with a prayer coach. The coach will meet in person with the minister one month after the Summit, then once a month for three months via zoom, continuing on in this sequence for the next two years. The Arise in Prayer Summit also kicks off a curriculum that will help to grow the prayer life of the pastor and the church in those two years as they stay connected with their prayer coach.
To date, seven conferences have already hosted a prayer summit and four others (Mississippi, Sunshine, Cornerstone, and Canada) are slated to join the ranks before the summer. Bryant is hopeful that the Prayer Summits become a regular part of each conference’s yearly meetings and that the emphasis on prayer remains.
To aid in the emphasis on prayer, Arise in Prayer launched a “Prayer Wall” in September of 2023. The Prayer Wall is a unique opportunity for people from around the world to post their prayer needs knowing that there are 40 Prayer Coaches committed to checking the Wall around the clock. After completing a short profile, an individual can post any prayer request or even pray for another poster. He or she can post in any language since the Wall is moderated by google and easily translates.
If you want to learn more about Arise in Prayer or the Prayer Summits, please visit: iphc.org/ariseinprayer
If you would like to learn more about the Prayer Wall or to post your own prayer, please visit: iphc.org/prayerwall
